Dark Matter Day at SNOLAB

There is much more to the universe than we can see. In fact, we are only seeing about 5% of it.

The remainder is comprised of dark matter and dark energy. Dark Matter Day is an initiative of the Interactions Collaboration, a global group of particle physics communicators, that aims to shine a light on this mystery and on the work of scientists to understand this silent, unseen, and massive presence in our universe.

On and around October 31, 2017 when the world celebrates the historic hunt for the unseen, SNOLAB will be no exception. We are organizing dark matter day events and activities over the month of October. Find something that interests you from the list below and attend an event in person or join us online. Be sure to check back often for surprise events and mystery guests!

Don't be afraid of the dark; follow along and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @SNOLABscience.

SNOLAB DARK MATTER EVENTS

Dark Matter Pumpkin Search at Dynamic Earth

As part of the spook-tacular, family friendly Halloween activities happening at Dynamic Earth in Sudbury, visitors can find the galaxy pumpkins and collect the dark matter clues to learn about one of the universe's greatest unsolved mysteries in this fun dark matter themed scavenger hunt!

Pop Culture Science Cafe at the Taphouse

How does pop culture influence science and research? Can pop culture play a role in making science more relevant? Ken Clark, a SNOLAB scientist specializing in dark matter research will join a group of panelists and members of the community to discuss science, pop-culture and how dark matter fits into the conversation.

Dark Matter Live Webcast from SNOLAB

Join SNOLAB Research Scientist Chris Jillings for a live webcast about the dark matter research he is conducting in the lab and to discuss what we know and don't know about dark matter. Get your questions ready!

DARK MATTER TEACHING RESOURCES

Dark Matter Lesson Plans

► Classroom Kit: This grade 11 and 12 classroom kit from Perimeter Institute can be downloaded in English or French, free of charge from the Perimeter website. The kit provides teachers with print and digital resources to support hands-on, student exploration of concepts related to gravity and orbital motion, gravitational lensing, measuring mass of galaxies, and theories of dark matter.

► Lesson Plan: In this lesson plan from Sonoma State University students in grades 9-12 will learn about dark matter how scientists are trying to detect this matter that is not visible. In the lab activity students will use several methods to determine what "hidden matter" lies between two paper plates.

Dark Matter TedED Lessons

► Dark Matter: The matter we can't see:The Greeks had a simple and elegant formula for the universe: just earth, fire, wind, and water. Turns out there's more to it than that -- a lot more. Visible matter (and that goes beyond the four Greek elements) comprises only 4% of the universe. CERN scientist James Gillies tells us what accounts for the remaining 96% (dark matter and dark energy) and how we might go about detecting it.

► Shedding a Light on Dark Matter: Physicist Patricia Burchat sheds light on two basic ingredients of our universe: dark matter and dark energy. Comprising 96% of the universe between them, they can't be directly measured, but their influence is immense.

► Could we Create Dark Matter: Eighty-five percent of the matter in our universe is dark matter. We don’t know what dark matter is made of, and we’ve yet to directly observe it, but scientists theorize that we may actually be able to create it in the Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful particle collider in the world. So how would that work? CERN scientist Rolf Landua explains how to discover a new particle.

Dark Matter Video Games

► Created to accompany the Perimeter Explorations "Mystery of Dark Matter" classroom kit, this video game challenges students to apply what they've learned as they add stars, planets, and black holes to a galaxy.